


The Times We Met

by Scriberat



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, ask to tag, because idfk anymore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-10 01:13:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15938696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scriberat/pseuds/Scriberat
Summary: Koumei is trying to relax after a stressful day. Due to the length of time spent traveling, the summit that was scheduled so the various countries could figure out what to do next was postponed to the next day. Then, Ja'far appears, and awkward conversation ensues.





	1. The First Time They Met

**Author's Note:**

> a general fluff fic between koumei and jafar that had me running to multiple info sources to figure out lololol. at least i reread some of magi for this, and have been reminded of why it was i first became a fan of koumei as a character, and not just a mountain yeeter.

Three navy fleets of three countries were moored at the base of a rocky island hill. Upon the hill sat a large and abandoned fortress, with an ancient architecture. Broken statues carrying stone weapons guarded certain areas, as if to remind the inhabitants of the threat hanging over their heads. Stairwells led to nowhere, except one, which led to a small balcony overlooking the ships. Prince Ren Koumei sat at a table with two chairs, observing the differences from one ship to the next, noting the crests painted on their canvas sails. Reim stood proud, Sindria collected, and the Kou Empire strong, insofar as such terms could be applied to common objects.

Koumei sighed, leaning back in his chair as best he could. It was a comfortable chair, to be sure. He noted its softness with his tired mind. Even so, it wasn’t a bed he could sink into, didn’t have pillows to comfort his back. He shrugged to himself, then raised a cup of tea to his lips.

Out here, on this balcony, he could almost forget what was happening. The Kou Empire and the Seven Seas Alliance were getting closer and closer to each other with every country brought under the Empire’s rule. On top of that, there was the fact that nearly every country in the world was now being dragged into the impending conflict. It would be absolute chaos that could end the world.

Here, though, in this moment, Koumei felt he could breathe easy. For now, it was just him, this chair, and a pot of green tea he had with him on the table. He sipped from it appreciatively.

“Excuse me,” someone said. Koumei turned to see who it was. Before him was the right-hand man of Sinbad, who was in charge of internal affairs in Sindria: Ja’far.

“Yes? What is it?” Koumei asked. Of course it was this man who had decided to disturb him. It couldn’t have been Aladdin, or Muu, or even Empress Gyokuen.

… Koumei had to admit to himself, he would honestly prefer his current company to hers.

“Would you mind if I sat with you? I’m… having difficulty sleeping. Stress, and all.”

“Feel free. I cannot command you otherwise,” Koumei replied. He glanced at his tea set, which had only one cup, and pursed his lips. He set his cup down and pushed the whole affair away.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you too much,” Ja’far said, sitting down in the other chair. He pulled out a cup of his own, which made Koumei raise an eyebrow. Had this strange man been planning this? They had certainly felt a spark earlier, knowing the other to truly be a formidable opponent.

“It’s no disturbance. Tea?”

“Thank you.” Ja’far offered out his cup, and Koumei filled it, retrieving his own cup and continuing to sip from it.

The two sat in awkward silence for some time. It grew between them more and more. Koumei tried not to feel it, but it was so present. Finally, he decided to say something.

“The--”

“So--” They’d tried at the same time.

“You should speak first,” Koumei said, gesturing to Ja’far.

“Oh, no, no. It would be inappropriate for me to speak over you. You are a prince, after all,” Ja’far said. Koumei shook his head.

“I have no sovereignty over you, yet. You may speak as you wish.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m a part of the Kou Empire, now or ever. Besides, it’s still rude to interrupt someone. You’re a person of great intellect, Prince Koumei. You must have something important to say.” Koumei pursed his lips again, briefly. This guy was a real issue. After all, Koumei had only meant to say the night was beautiful when it was clear. Then he figured he could go with that, and come up with something profound. But why should he? He owed this man nothing.

“If I were to speak important words at all times, I would never be allowed silence.”

“Then, do you enjoy frivolity?”

“Do you?” Koumei asked. Ja’far stopped for a moment, thinking. Koumei knew he had had his answer since the beginning. Of course he enjoyed frivolity. Who didn’t? Frivolity meant festivals, fun, freedom to do things that didn’t require work. Sindria had loads of festivals. The Kou Empire had its own, of course, but not to such an extent, nor such a wild one. Having a festival any time an oceanic monster appeared? The sheer randomness gave Koumei chills.

“I do,” Ja’far said simply. “It’s important for morale to have some things that are not a requirement of daily living.”

“Agreed.” Koumei side-eyed the Sindrian general, then turned back to the stars. “It is impossible to live only by necessity. Something unnecessary must also be present.”

“And what is your unnecessary thing?” Ja’far was looking at him. Koumei met his gaze, staring him down, but Ja’far refused to budge. He had been a part of courts for a long time, to be able to handle such a gaze.

“An unnecessary thing to speak of,” Koumei said. “Yours?”

“Also not necessary.”

“I see.” They sipped their tea for a time longer. Ja’far could hardly stand it. He wanted to know more about the Kou Empire, and about this prince, but any question he asked would be met with a guarded and ultimately uninformative answer. He glared out to sea for a moment, before sighing to himself and setting his cup down.

“Problem?” Koumei asked.

“No, no problem. How long have you been practicing your poker face?” Ja’far asked. It was an innocuous enough question. Koumei cocked his head to the side, closed his eyes, and then moved his hand back and forth in a fist, as though he was holding something.

His fan, Ja’far realized.

“It has been a long time,” Koumei said. “About ten years.”

“Since the Kou Empire became aggressive. And… did you spend all that time as its strategist?”

“You ask many questions. What about you? What do you do as King Sinbad’s adviser?”

“Touche.” They sat in silence for another spell. Koumei sipped on his tea. Ja’far did the same.

“Did you seek me out?” Koumei asked, eyeing the second cup.

“I did, yes,” Ja’far replied. “I have an interest in getting to know potential allies.”

“You are not, nor will ever be, a part of the Kou Empire. That’s what you said, is it not?”

“… Yes, it is.” Ja’far restrained himself from launching at the Kou Prince. Even without his household vessel, he still knew how to use his darts. Besides, this prince looked super weak and easy to take out. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t make an alliance. That is what this summit is about.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Er. Yes.” Ja’far wasn’t sure how to respond to that. The summit was being held so that everyone could talk over how to proceed, now that Al Thamen was no longer as great a presence as it had been. Sinbad wanted to make alliances with everyone, to reduce damage to a minimum. You don’t hurt or conquer your allies, after all. It was the best way to unify the world.

Koumei turned back toward the stars and the ocean, gazing out at them peacefully. His tea had gone cold, so he drained the rest of the cup.

“More?” he asked, proffering the pot.

“No, thank you,” Ja’far said. Koumei nodded, then stood and left with his set. Ja’far watched him leave, quickly rising to follow him.

“Are you not here to forge new alliances?”

“Alliances will not unify the world.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“If they did, then many empires that made alliances would still be around.” Ja’far felt his blood rising, and swung around in front of Koumei. Koumei stopped in his tracks, his face belying no emotion.

“Prince Koumei, if you are not here to consider the goals and aspirations of the other parties present, then there is no need for us to have this summit, is there?”

“General Ja’far, if we were all here to consider the goals and aspirations of the other parties present, then there would have been no need for us to gather clear strength in the Yambal and Fanalis.” Koumei continued on his way, shadowed easily by Ja’far.

“That may be, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least make an attempt to become amiable neighbors,” Ja’far said, trying to keep up with Koumei.

“That is not our goal.” The Prince didn’t even look back at him.

“Well then, what is your goal!?”

“To unite the world. We shall do so, and all will be at peace.”

“I highly doubt a country that uses slaves can ever be at peace!” Koumei whipped around.

“I highly doubt a country that forces reliance from its allies and scares them into submission can bring about peace, either.”

Ja’far saw it only for a moment, but in the stoic face of Prince Koumei, there was a flash of pain.

 

They continued onward toward the docks as Ja’far tried to figure out what the hell was going on with Koumei to make him so utterly contemptuous of allies, and yet hurt by what his own country was doing.

“Why?” he finally asked.

“Why?” Koumei repeated. “Why what?”

“Why do you do such evil things?”

“… That is unnecessary knowledge. You would not understand.”

“Are you really sure about that?”

“I am.”

“Why don’t you try to make me understand? It would help with the summit meeting tomorrow,” Ja’far said. He was so close to just beating this guy to a pulp, but it would undo all of their hard work nigh instantaneously.

“Humans cannot understand each other.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe.” Koumei left to get on his ship, turning to Ja’far. “I’ve had a long time to think about the world and all it is. Every part of human life, every nuance within it. This is what I have found to be true. It is impossible for human beings to understand one another.”

“That’s untrue. I understand King Sinbad better than anyone!”

“And I understand my brother better than anyone else in this world --- but even that does not give me full understanding of everything about him. He may yet surprise me. Besides, while we do not fight, that is because we refuse to. We would easily fight with others who carry different ideologies. Is that not why you brought your allies to this summit?”

“… I don’t understand you, Prince Koumei.”

“Does that raise your ire?”

“It does.”

“Then you’re acting exactly as predicted.”

“Wait.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not done talking to you. You shroud your meaning. How can you expect anyone to understand you? Is that not important?”

“It would take too long to get everyone to understand us. But… if you are really so keen on talking, then I can entertain you for awhile longer.” Koumei stepped away from the ship, looking around for a moment. Then he headed toward the end of the dock. Ja’far followed him, sitting on the edge as the prince stood.

“It’s a nice night,” Koumei said. “Clear weather. It will stay like this for some time.”

“You can read the weather?”

“I can. I learned from my ancestors who studied it.”

“That’s… pretty cool. How do you know?” Ja’far asked. Koumei looked down at him, considering the possibilities. If this future citizen, or possibly permanent enemy, were to know how to watch the weather, it would not only make the battle between Sindria and Kou more interesting, but also give him a potential assistant in deciding when to strike other nations. Besides, reading the weather came from years of study.

“It has to do with currents and wind patterns.” Koumei continued to explain how he could read the sky, and Ja’far listened attentively.

“That’s really interesting. I never would have guessed that you had interests outside of slaughter,” Ja’far said. Koumei guffawed, then cleared his throat.

“Of course. Generally speaking, such interests are unnecessary in negotiations,” he said, smirking. Ja’far matched his smirk, then stood up.

“I learned how to read the wind to blend with shadows, as a child.”

“To what end?”

“I was an assassin for Parthevia.” Koumei nodded to himself at this new information. It made sense, he decided. Ja’far had the sort of countenance that would be relevant and useful in an assassin’s life.

“How was it to be an assassin?” Koumei asked. He could feel his heart starting to pick up speed. He wasn’t doing so well, and he didn’t have his fan with him to calm his anxiety. Ja’far remained silent for a time.

“It was… difficult. I had to do things I didn’t want to do. I had to kill people I didn’t want to kill, until killing was my only response to situations. I… I was messed up.” Ja’far laughed, pressing his hair back and carding it. “I shouldn’t be saying anything.”

“… We’re more alike than I first thought,” Koumei said.

“You were an assassin as a child?”

“No. I have often found myself doing things I would not do if I felt I had any choice in the matter. These things… If I could redo everything, change one thing in the past to avoid all of this, I would in a heartbeat.”

“Is that so?”

“I shouldn’t be saying such things. It will reflect poorly on me, and could cause issues in the future. I shall retire, now,” Koumei said.

“No, wait! We were just getting somewhere,” Ja’far said. “Closer to an understanding?” Koumei turned to look at the former assassin with a deadpan expression.

“It would take too long to explain why things are the way they are.”

“You could try.” Ja’far stared Koumei down from behind, willing him to stop moving and come back. This was getting interesting, and useful, and… fun, almost. Koumei sighed, then turned toward Ja’far.

“I believe the closest you would understand is the concept of necessary evil. To use cruel things to further one’s own ends, that they will no longer have to.”

His heart was beating wildly, and a thrum had begun in his bones. Koumei shook his head slightly, then walked quickly toward the ship he was staying on until the summit was over.

Ja’far let him go. He knew the look of someone who was panicked. It would do no good to force the prince to stay.

“If,” Koumei began, turning one last time. “If this were a different situation, a different world, a different lifetime. If things were different, I believe we could get along well.”

The Kou prince departed at last, climbing the gangplank onto his ship, and disappeared from sight. Ja’far breathed in deeply, then went to his own ship. Koumei had given him something to think about, to be sure. But he was more than familiar with using cruel means to gain a peaceful end. It made him wonder if there was that much of a difference between Sindria and the Kou Empire. Then he shook his head. Of course there was! Sindria was a bastion of justice, a beacon of hope! The Kou Empire was evil, aggressive, cruel beyond measure.

But then, he didn’t know enough about them to understand them fully, did he? Could he, if given the chance? He may never find out.


	2. The Time Arba and Barbarossa Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arba went to visit Barbarossa, once. While the relationship may be tragic, it happens here nonetheless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have never read SnB, so this is hella out of character and off-place and shit. still, this is for the sin i roleplay with ^-^ i hope you like it~

After their little troupe of chaos bringers had somewhat broken apart, Arba had taken it upon herself to maintain her own plans. That meant going places and handling things herself, until she had the pawns to do so for her. Ithnan was off somewhere. Falan was here, in Parthevia, where an excellent King’s Candidate stood in wait for something to allow him to go to war.

 

He had such a  _ lovely _ heart, such a  _ dark _ heart. Arba couldn’t help but grin. Now, she just needed to reach this man who would be King…

  
  
  


It turned out to be easier than anticipated. After all, she was an emissary from another country, and that meant that people would allow her places out of respect. Falan was off somewhere, which meant that this lovely King was totally open to her influence. She dropped in on him, as one does.

 

“Who’s there?” asked Barbarossa.

 

“Ohhh, you have sharp senses~” Arba drawled, walking toward him. Barbarossa raised an eyebrow.

 

“Who are you?” he asked again.

 

“My name is Arba. I’m here to talk to you~. I think we could get along very well.” Barbarossa swung at her with blinding speed, only to find himself solidly blocked.

 

“Nice try~” she said, holding a sword of her own. Barbarossa attempted to disintegrate it, but to no avail.

 

“What is this?” he muttered.

 

“You don’t know? It’s  _ magic _ , something more powerful than swordplay alone. It’s what makes the world go round.”

 

“Makes the world go round…? Stop speaking like a child. Who are you? Why are you here?”

 

“My name is Gyokuen. I’m from the Kou Empire, and I would like to grant you unimaginable power for an alliance,” Arba said, like it had been rehearsed --- a fact which Barbarossa didn’t fail to catch.

 

“Why are you saying it like that? Who are you, really?”

 

“Hehehe, such sharp senses! That’s good.” Arba grinned wickedly. “You’re right, my dear. I am not truly Ren Gyokuen, wife of the Emperor of the rising Kou Empire. I am… someone else. You’ll have to find out for yourself~”

 

“How would I do so? By taking your power?”

 

“That’s right! I only let my friends know me,” Arba said. “Besides, we’re the same kind of person. We don’t care who we hurt, if it means we’re getting our way. The only thing that matters is world domination. I can help you with that, if you’ll help me, too~”

 

Barbarossa considered her proposal. It seemed simple enough, but that meant there was plenty of room for traps. Still… the offer was tempting. He was no fool. It wouldn’t do to take someone’s offer of power without making sure of his allies, first.

 

“Tell me something, Gyokuen. You are part of the Kou Empire, yes? What is their strength?”

 

“The strength of the Empire is great already. Even though it has only conquered two nations thus far, it has already come so far~ I’m quite proud of it.”

 

“Only two?”

 

“Yes! But, you don’t need to rely on the Empire. You need only rely on me, Barbarossa. I will give you the strength you need.”

 

“Is that so?” He really didn’t trust this crazy person who had all but broken into his room.

 

“That’s right~ Would you like a taste of it?” she asked. It was tempting,  _ very  _ tempting.

 

“... Just for a moment,” Barbarossa said. Arba grinned that wicked grin that was already enticing him. They really were similar, weren’t they? She gave him her hand, and he took it, feeling a small amount of glorious power enter him.

 

“Try this,” Arba said, sending a spell and the commands to Barbarossa. He tried it, and set the wall on fire.

 

“And this, too.” This time, it was a water spell, to put out the fire. Barbarossa liked it. He liked it  _ a lot _ .

 

“You’ll lend me this power?”

 

“I will~ I can cast the spells myself, under your command~ And I’ll support you from my home. Don’t worry about the distance. It’s as nothing to me.”

 

“Is that so?”   
  


“That’s so. And…” At this, Arba sidled up to Barbarossa, pressing her body against him. “If you want some reprieve from this horrible world, I’m always open~”

 

Barbarossa smirked. “Perhaps I’ll take you up on that offer.” He pulled Arba closer, then whispered in her ear, “when you tell me your real name.”

 

Arba shrieked with laughter.

 

“Goodbye, Barby. I shall see you again~” And she jumped out the window, disappearing into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment if you wish ^-^ it seems crack pairs are my specialty, so if you want more of these, toss a couple names my way and tell me how it starts~

**Author's Note:**

> comment if you wish ^_^ i cannot command you lololol
> 
> follow me on tumblr, at scriberat! (and find a hell of a lot of reblogging lololol)


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